PROBABLY IMPERIAL, ATTRIBUTED TO THE PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, 1760-1850

Details

A CARVED ROOT AMBER SNUFF BOTTLE
PROBABLY IMPERIAL, ATTRIBUTED TO THE PALACE WORKSHOPS, BEIJING, 1760-1850
The bottle is decorated through the transparent upper half and opaque lower half on one side with two magpies on prunus branches, the other side with a crab climbing a branch of millet below a lotus blossom and seed pods, all between ruyi-head borders and a band of stiff leaves on the neck and key-fret above the foot. The narrow sides are carved in high relief with mask and ring handles.
2 3/8 in. (6 cm.) high, glass stopper

Provenance

The Avon Collection, Amazon Rooks, (prior to 1970).
Hugh Moss (HK) Ltd., Hong Kong, 2006.
Ruth and Carl Barron Collection, Belmont, Massachusetts, no. 3073.

Special notice

This lot is offered without reserve.

Lot Essay

The formalized lappet bands around the neck and ruyi bands around the foot, combined with the mask and ring handles seen on the present bottle strongly suggest a palace production. Two magpies, shuangxi, form the rebus 'Double Happiness', and its combination with prunus, a symbol of longevity, would have made this bottle an appropriate wedding gift.

A carved amber bottle with similar motif and identical ruyi borders from the Blanche B. Exstein Collection was sold at Christie's New York, 21 March 2002, lot 94.

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